Floods, downed trees, outages in wake of storm

PORTSMOUTH

It was a rain event that matched last week’s storm, dumping about 1 to 3 inches across the region.

But, thanks to wind, hail and lightning, this storm caused more than flood damage.

Helen Fisher was watching the rain fly past her window sideways.

“I was sitting in my living room,” the Park Manor resident said. “I could not see across the street it was blowing so hard.”

Across Edgewood Road, Denise Felton had a different worry. A neighbor’s tree was being pulled apart and thrown at her roof.

The storm lasted only 15 to 20 minutes, but Felton said the damages were worse than experienced during Hurricane Isabel in 2003.

Denise’s husband, David, was just trying to get home. He was driving on Portsmouth Boulevard when he got caught in traffic trying to move through the flooded streets.

A car was stuck in the road and several drivers tried the median. Then the hail started falling pretty hard, he said.

By the time he navigated his way home, neighbors were already out in force helping to clean up, one with a chainsaw, another with a broom and Denise Felton picking up branches by hand.

Down the street, crews worked to restore electricity.

At its peak, more than 18,000 Dominion Virginia Power customers in Hampton Roads were in the dark.

In North Carolina, most of the Weeksville area in Pasquotank County was without power, said Christy Saunders, emergency management director.

Lightning was also believed to be the cause of several fires throughout Hampton Roads.

In Portsmouth, four adults and two children escaped unharmed from their home, which firefighters believe was set by lightning at the height of the storm.

“They pretty much felt it and started smelling smoke right away,” said Capt. Paul Hoyle, fire department spokesman.

The house, in the 100 block of Median Circle, suffered little structural damage but significant smoke and water damage, Hoyle said.

In Chesapeake, Western Branch saw the worst of the storms.

The Fire Department had to rescue several people from cars stranded in waist-deep water in the Gum Road corridor, Fire Chief Steve Best said.

Trees fell on three homes off Bruce Road, Best said. Families were evacuated after the homes were determined to be uninhabitable, and building officials will visit the homes Wednesday morning.

Best said bursts of wind caused the damage in Western Branch.

The National Weather Service was still working to confirm reports that funnel clouds were spotted but had no information indicating a tornado, said James Foster, a meteorologist.

Staff writers Matthew Bowers and Mike Saewitz contributed to this story.

Lauren King, (757) 446-2309, lauren.king@pilotonline.com